The Tribune

THE Bahamas Chess Federation’s Easter Qualifier 2022 was a closely contested tournament filled with intense competition and surprising upsets.

Held April 22 at QCafe, Queen’s College, this FIDE-rated tournament was a five-round Swiss format game in 60 minutes per player.

The one-day tournament spanned eight hours. The top two male finishers and top two female finishers earned a spot on The Bahamas National Olympiad team.

The Chess Olympiad is the biggest chess event in the world.

The 2022 FIDE Olympiad will take place July 28 to August 9 this year in Chennai, India. The Olympiad is held every two years.

Online Olympiads were held in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new over-the-board Olympiad was postponed and awarded to Moscow but as a result of the war in Ukraine was moved to India. The qualifying team for The Bahamas 2022 Olympiad Team Open Section includes CM Kendrick Knowles, Shawn Barker, Dr Kenville Lockhart and Noah Albury.

The qualifying team for The Bahamas 2022 Olympiad Team female section consists of Chika Pride, Jayla Cargill and Nelissa Thomas.

CM Knowles, Mr Barker and Chika Pride, the youngest member of the team, qualified at the BCF qualifier held earlier this year.

The last member of the Open Team and final two members of the female team will be selected by The Bahamas Chess Federation (BCF) based on skill level, participation, contribution to the development of BCF and the individual’s participation at the qualifiers.

“The Bahamas Chess Federation is once again highlighting the amazing growth of chess in the country, this weekend’s tournament was no exception,” stated CM Kendrick Knowles, president of the Bahamas Chess Federation. “We witnessed amazing young talent from all participants, with our top two finishers being relatively new to competitive chess but showing considerable strength.

“We would like to congratulate Dr Kenville Lockhart and the young up and coming star Noah Albury for placing first and second respectively.

“Noah managed to accomplish this feat against his former coach and well experienced round 5 opponent FM Cecil Moncur. FM Moncur finished third and was pleased to duel with his student and stated how proud he was of Noah’s improvement and patience over the board.”

Easter Qualifier

2022 Results

1st Place – Dr Kenville Lockhart

2nd Place – Noah Albury

3rd Place – FM Cecil Moncur

Easter Qualifier 2022

Female Results

1st Place – Jayla Cargill

2nd Place – Nelissa Thomas

3rd Place – Chika Pride